Can-sealing apparatus.



A. K. M-ALMQUIST. CAN SEALING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED 001211, 1913.

Patented Aug. 18, 1914 8 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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WITNESSES *3 42 [NVENTOR A. K. MALMQUIST. GAN SEALING APPARATUS APPLICATION FILED OGT.11,1913.

1,107,974. Patented Aug. 18, 1914.

8 SHEETSSHEET 2 WIT 5555 ig [NV TO W L/W-eLLM/uM/A Al/orney A. K. MALMQUIST.

CAN. SEALING APPARATUS.

APPLIOATION EILED OCT. 11, 1913.

Patented Aug. 18, 1914.

3SHEETS-SHEET 4.

J INVENTOR I Attorney A. K. MALMQUI ST. CAN SEALING APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED OCT. 11,1913. 1

1,1 07,974. Patented Aug. 18, 1914.

8 SHEETSSHEET 5.

z (NVLNTOR m.

J Altorney A. K. MALMQUIST.

CAN SEALING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED O0T.l1, 1913.

Patented Aug. 18, 1914v 8 SHEETS*SHEET 6 Qiw $6 l I "l 7 N 155555 A. K. MALMQUIST. CAN SEALING APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED 0GT.11,1913.

Patented Aug. 18, 1914.

8 SHEETSSHBBT 7.

[NVE/VTOR mmmmm W WOW/l6] WITNZSSES W] NESSES v I I A. K. MALMQUIST. CAN SEALING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION I'I'LED OGT.11, 191s.

Patented Aug. 18, 1914.

8 SHEETS SHEET 8 Fran/Z- I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ADOLPH K. MALMQUIST, OF SOUTH BELLINGHAM, WASHINGTON, ASSIGNOR TO PER- FECT VACUUM CAN COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION.

CAN-SEALING- I APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 18, 1914.

Original application filed April 2, 1913, Serial No. 758,474. Divided and this application filed October 11,

1913. Serial No. 794,690.

Tooll whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ADoLrH K. MALM- QUIST, of South Bellingham, in the county of Whatcorn and State of Washington, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Can-Sealing Apparatus;'and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in can sealin apparatus,the same being a division 0% application for patent filed by me on the 2nd day of April, 1913, and desighated by Serial No. 7 58,474.

One object of my present invention is to provide simple and etficient means for hermetically seaming caps to cans while in an exhausted chamber.

A further object is to so construct and arrange the various mechanical instrumentalitiesas to insure the maximum capacity and accuracy of operation of the apparatus in the feeding of cans, and automatically manipulating the cans to effect the hermetic sealing of the same in exhausted chambers and without the use of solder.

A further object is to provide simple and efficient means for automatically controlling the feed of the capped cans to the sealing chambers and the discharge of. the hermetically sealed cans from such chambers.

A further object is to provide simple and eiiicient means which will operate to prevent the feeding of cans to disabled sealing mechanism.

A further object is to improve the mechanism in other respects as will be hereinafter more fully explained.

With these objects in View, the invention consists in certain novelfeatures of construction and combinations of parts as hereinafter set forth and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings; Figure 1 is a plan view of the apparatus; Fig. 1 is a view showing piping for a plurality of machines. Fig. 2 is asectional view (partly in elevation). Fig. 2 is a view showing means for controlling the operation of the sealing mechanism; Fig. 3 is an enlarged, plan view. partly in sectlon of a portion of the sealing mechanism, and showing the feeding devices therefor. Fig. 4 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of one of the units of the sealing mechanism and parts which cooperate therewith; Fig. 5 is a horizontal sectional view through the lower por- '.t1on of the seal ng mechanism, showing .blocks or supports 53; Fig. 12 is a plan view of the can carrier and closure for one of the seallng chambers; Fig. 13 is a side elevation of the structure shown in Fig. 12; Fig. 14 is a detail sectional view of devices which direct the cans to the sealing chambers; Fig. 15' is a plan view of the main valve of the exhausting means; Fig. 16 is a sectional view of said valve; Fig. 17 is an enlarged detail view of a portion of the gearing.

The frame of the machine embodying the Sealing mechanism comprises uprights 4 rismg'from a lattorm 5 and connected at their upper en 5 by a spider'6. The platform 5 may be supported at a suitable elevation upon legs 7. The spider 6 is provided centrally with a bearing 8 for the upper portion of a vertical shaft 9 and the lower end of this shaft is mounted in a bearing block 10 supported in an opening in the center of the platform 5,said block being also adapted to, receive a horizontal drive shaft 11, and the latter is mounted near its outer end in a bearing bracket 12.

A pulley 13 (to receive motion from any suitable source of supply) is mounted loosely on the shaft 11 and a clutch 13 (Fig. 2) is provided for securing said pulley to its shaft. A hand lever 13, pivoted at its lower end to a fixed arm 13, is connected with a cone, sleeve 13 on shaft 11 for manipulating the clutch.

The platform 5 sustains a fixed spider 14 having a central bearing 15, through which the lower portion of a vertical tubular shaft 18 138.8%5 a suitable bushing 17 being disposed between said tubular shaft and bearing.

The tubular shaft is made with an annular enlargement 18, between which and the spider 1 1, anti-friction bearing balls 19 are disposed.

The tubular shaft 16 is providedwith an inverted conical hood 20, and this hood is provided with a plurality of radial brackets 21 strengthened by webs 22 extending to the tubular shaft 16. The central shaft 16, hood 20, brackets 21 and webs 22, thus constitutes a revoluble frame which carries several sealing chambers, as will now be explained.

To each. bracket 21, a casing 23 is secured and forms, with a hood 24 thereon, a sealing chamber 25. Each casing 28 is provided with a duct 26 communicating with a duct 27,.in the adjacent bracket 21 to permit the withdrawal of air from the-sealing chambers. The exhausting of the sealing chamhers is controlled by a hollow valve ring 28 disposed within the hood 20 and held stationary by spring pressed keys 29 mounted in the upper portion of the fixed spider 14.. The valve ring 28 has a general conical form and is made with two chambers 80 and 31 isolated from each other by walls 32-38, and for these chambers, elongated ports 34-35 are provided and adapted to register with the ducts 26-27. Pipes 36-37 communicate with the respective valve chambers 30-31 and these pipes are connected with pipe lines 38-39 respectively, the latter being connected with suitable exhaust apparatus not shown. In some instances it may be desired to employ several sealing apparatus for sealing cans of diiierent sizes in the same canning plant. In Fig 1 of the drawing, piping for two such apparatus is shown. The pipes 36-37 for each sealing apparatus are provided with manually operated valves 38 -89 and with pressure valves 40-41. The pipe lines 38-39 are also provided with valves 42-43 in proximity to the connections of the pipes 36-37 with said pipe lines. With such arrangement any sealing machine of the plant, may be cut out of service, in the event it becomes disabled or for other reason.

Guideways 4-4 are located under each casing 23 for the accommodation of a sliding carrier 45, the vertical wall 46 of which constitutes a closure or door for the vacuum sealing chamber 25 when the parts are in the position shown at the left of Fig. 2, and said wall 46 is provided with packing 47 so that the sealing chamber will be closed air tight. To the vertical wall 4.6 of'the carrier, a can. receptacle 48is secured and the diametrically opposite walls of this receptacle are provided with slots 1-9 for the accommodation of vertically movable blocks or dogs 50 adapted tr) engage the can at diametricaliy opposite sides. These dogs are normally held in place by means of mo /e74 springs 51 housed in sockets in the walls of the can receptacle, the upper ends of said springs bearing against screws 52, by means of which their tension may be adjusted. A vertically movable platform 53 is disposed in the bottom of each can receptacle 4:8 and provided with lugs 54: (L-shaped in cross section) which enter an opening in the bottom of the receptacle, as clearly shown in F igs. 2,4 and 13. The platform 53 constitutes a support for a can and when the can is within the sealing chamber, its lower flange will be engaged by two dogs 55.

These dogs also engage the can at diametri.

cally opposite sides (at right angles to the dogs 50) and cotiperate with the dogs 50 to hold the can in proper position within the sealing chamber.' The dogs 55 are also vertically movable (slots or guideways 56' being provided in the walls of the sealing chamber to permit such movement) and said dogs 55 are pressed downwardly by means of,

springs 57 housed in the walls of the sealing chamber, so as to insure the retention of the can on the platform 53.

In a plane below one of the sealing chambers and projecting laterally beyond the same, is an approximately \l-shaped camway 58, the apex of which-is made somewhat blunt or slightly elon ated as shown at 59, Fig. 3. The outer wa l 60 of the for ward leg of the V-shaped cam 58 is hinged at 61 and provided at its free rear end with an arm 62, to which one end of a spring 63 is attached the other end 01": said spring being connected with the stationary framework. The outer wall of the forward leg of the cam-way 58 is thus made so that it can yield, for a purpose which will hereinafter appear.

The combined can carrier and closure for each sealing chamber is provided near its outer end with a depending pin 64 (Figs. 2 and 13) carrying a roller 65 adapted to move through the V-shaped guideway 58 and thus effect the sliding movement of the can carrier 45 to move the can into or out of a sealing chamber and to open and close said sealing chamber, during the travel of the revoluble frame of the machine.

While a can is in a vacuum sealing chainber, the cap or cover will. be doubleseamed to the can body, as will be hereinafter explained. It is desirable however, that the caps or covers shall have been previously applied to the can bodies in a manner to prevent their displacement, but it is important that such capping of the cans shall not hermetica'lly seal the latter,-the hermetic sealing being eii'ectcd while the can is in a vacuum sealing chamber. The mechanism for. capping the cans without hermetically sealing them constitute the subject of claims in my copending applicationserial' No.

res le.

therefrom.

It will be understood, as more fully hereinafter described in detail, that motion is derived from the shaft 11 for operating thesealing mechanism 1 and the feeding devices 223-226 and that the o eration of this shaft is under the control of the manually operated clutch 13.

A conveyer chain 223 passes over the sprocket wheel 189 near the inlet end of a chute or guideway 222, and over a sprocket wheel 224 on a shaft 225 near the outlet end of said chute or guideway. This chain carries a plurality of spaced arms 226. Cans on the chute 222 will be engaged by the conveyer arms 226 on chain 223, by means of which they willbe moved forwardly to the inlet. of the sealing mechanism.

1 To provide driving means for the conveyer chain, the shaft 225 carries a sprocket 227 (Fig. 14) to which motion is imparted by a chain 228 from a sprocket 229 (Fig. 1) and this last-mentioned sprocket is suitably geared to the shaft 123 to receive motion The sealing mechanism is provided with a plurality of segmental table sections 230 which extend from each sealing chamber casing 23 to the next,the ends of said table sections being spaced apart in front of each sealing chamber as shown in Figs. 1 and 3 and the machine frame is provided with a fixed table 231 which forms, in effect, a portion of the discharge end of the chute or guideway 222, as clearly shown in Fig. 3.

An arm 226 of the'can conveyer will operate to move a can from the outlet end of the chute 222, onto one of the table sections 230 (the can carrier 45 being open, as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3) and will become disposed between an arm 232 projecting over a table section 230, and an arm 233 secured to a bracket 234 on the stationary framework. The arm 232 i mounted on a post 235 (Fig. 14) and is rendered yielding by means of a spring 236, as shown in Figs. 3 and 14. The arm 233 will serve to move a can from the can carrier when the latter opens as it approaches the position illustrated in Fig. 3.

The door portion 46 of each can carrier 45 is provided on its outer face with a cam block 237 to engage a slide 238 mounted to move horizontally in the bracket and move said slide rearwardly against the resistance of a spring 239 when a unit of the sealing machine reaches the inlet and discharge position illustrated in'Fig 3. As illustrated in this figure of the drawing, one can is in position to enter the carrier 45 and another can artially discharged therefrom. Discharg of a sealed can from the machine will be effected (as presently explained) by the conjoint action of the slide 238 and a deflecting cam 240 secured to a table section 230, each of said table sections being provided with a deflecting cam 240.

With the parts in the positions shown in Fig. 3, rotary movement of the revoluble frame of the sealing apparatus, will cause the open carrier 45 to receive the can disposed in the path of its travel, movement of said can with the table section 230 being provented by the yielding arm 232. When the can shall have been received into the can carrier, continued movement of the rotary frame will cause the roller of the can carrier 45 to enter the forward end of the V- shaped cam-way 58 and cause the carrier to move forwardly to convey the can into the sealing chamber and close the latter. During the closing of the carrier 45, a cam 232 will permit the arm 232 to move out of the way of said carrier. When the can carrier 45 moves to insert the can into the sealing chamber and close the latter, the slide 238 will be moved forwardly by the action of the spring 239 and become disposed in front of the can which has been sealed and which is to be discharged from the machine. During the forward rotary movement of the rotary frame, the deflecting cam 240 on table section 230 will force the can laterally and cause it to move against the slide 238, until it reaches a pm 241 projecting from said slide said pin acting to tilt the can and cause itto be deposited upon a discharge chute 242.

Returning now, to the operations which occur when a capped can has been placed in a sealing chamber and said chamber has been closed, it may be explained that the portion 46 of the can carrier, which constitutes the door of the sealing chamber, should be pressed so as to insure the hermetic sealing of said chamber. For this purpose springpressed plungers 243 mounted in a suitable casing 244 secured to the framework, are provided,each of said plungers having a roller 245 mounted in its free end to be engaged by the cam block 237 on the door portion of the can carrier 45. The springpressed plungers will be so located that they will exert their pressure against the door of the can carrier before the sealing chamber shall have been exhausted.

For the purpose of rotating the rotary frame of the sealing apparatus, said frame is provided on its lower portion, with a gear ring 246 suitably secured to depending portions of the casings 23 of the sealing chambers, and said gear ring is further supported by means of depending legs 247 carrying rollers 248 whichrun on an annular trackway 249 on the stationary frame platform 5. The'gear ring 246 receives motion from a pinion 250 on a short shaft 261 mounted in the bearing block 12, and to the other end of this shaft, a gear 252 is secured and rece cs motion from an idle gear 253, the latter being driven by a pinion 254 on the main driw mg shaft 11.

The manner of inserting a capped can into a sealing chamber and the manner of rotating the rotary frame of which the casings forming the .several sealing chambers for parts, having been explained, it now remains to describe the construction and operation of the devices whereby the cap is double-seamed to the can while in a vacuum chamber, to effect the hermetic sealing of the can, and the sealed can subsequently released from the seaming means When a can entered and was inclosed within a sealing chamber the L-shaped lugs 54 of the platform 53 (on which latter the can rests) became coupled to the flanged head 255 of a plunger 256. In order that the head 255 shall be vertically adjustable relatively to the rod 256, the upper end of the latter is made with a threaded socket to receive the threaded shank 255 of said head, and said shank is made with a plurality of vertical grooves 255 ,in any one of which, a set screw 255 enters to prevent said head from turning. The rod 256 is vertically movable through a tubular extension of the casing 23 which forms one unit of the sealing mechanism. This plunger is made with a socket into which a shank 257 enters and thelower end of this shank is made with a head 258 carrying a roller 259 to run on a cam-way 260. Between the upper end of the shank 257 and the upper end of the socket in the plunger, a'spring 261 is located and movement of the shank relatively to the plunger is limited by a pin and slot construction as indicated at 262. Another roller 263 is mounted on one side'of the head 258 and engages a cam-way 264 for the purpose of lowering the plunger 256 and can platform 53 when the sealing unit of the machine arrives at the point of discharge for the sealed cans, as more fully hereinafter explained.

The hooded portion of each sealing chamber casing 23 is made with an upward tubular extension 265, provided at its upper end with a yoke 266. A tubular shaft 267 passes through the tubular extension 265 and top portion of the yoke 266 and this-tubular shaft is provided at its lower end (Within the hooded portion of the sealing chamber) with a flanged head 268. A tube 269 passes freely through the shaft 267 and head 268 and is provided at its lower end with an annular flange 269. A head 270 is secured to the upper end of the tube 267 and adapted to engage a cam 271 (for a purpose hereinafter explained) and the movements ,of this head are guided by pins 272 secured to the top of the yoke 266 and entering sockets in said head. A spring 273 tends normally to force thehead 270 and the tube 267 upwardly.

Double seaming devices are locatedwithineach sealing chamber and coiiperate with the flanged heads 268. Each set of seaming devices comprises a revoluble carrier 274 (Fig. 6) at the lower end of a tubular shaft 275 passing through the .tubular extension 265. Two arms 27 6 are pivotally attached between their endsto opposite arms of the carrier 274 and at one end of each of these arms, a seaming roller 27.7 is -mounted. These seaming rollers cotiperate with the flanged head 268 to double-seam the edge of a cap to a can body, as shown at the left of Fig. 2, and for this purpose, they are pressed toward the capped can during a portion of the travel of the sealingchamber of the rev oluble frame, in which the can is inclosed. For thus pressing the seaming rollers to their work, a cam 278 (Figs. 4 and 6) is provided and codperates with spring fingers 279 pivoted to the carrier 274 and held in adjusted position by screws 280. The ,two arms 276 are connected by a spring 281 which operates to swing the arms 276 and thus move the seaming rollers 277 away from the can when the fingers 279 are not in conthe speed of rotation of the seaming roller carriers. As means for rotating the seaming roller carrier and the cam 278, the mechanism now to be described may be employed,-reference being made to Figs. 2, 4 and 7 of the drawing which show this mechanism.

The tubular shaft 275 of each seamingroller carrier 274 is provided at its upper end (within yoke 266) with a gear 282, and each cam 278 is carried by the lower end of a tubular shaft 283 passing upwardly through the tubular shaft 275, said tubular 'shaft 283 being provided at its upper end with a gear 284, which is somewhat smaller than the gear 282.

A large gear wheel 285 is secured to the central shaft 9 and meshes with all the gears 284, and a somewhat smaller large gear wheel 286 is secured to a central tubular shaft 287 through which said shaft 9 passes, and transmits motion to all of the gears 282. The central shaft 9 is provided near its lower end with a bevel gear 288 which receives'motion from a bevel gear 289 on shaft 11, and the central tubular shaft 287 is provided at its lower end with a bevel gear 290 (larger than the gear 288) and receives motion from a bevel gear 291 (larger than the gear 289 on the same shaft 11.

The tube 267 0 each sealing unit, (which tube is open at its lower end) is its upper endwith a port 292, w ich is normally closed by a spring-pressed valve 293.

1provided at Each valve 293 is provided with an arm 294 adapted to engage an arm 295 on the framework, when said sealing unit of the revoluble frame approaches the discharge position for a sealed can, and open said valve 293 for a purpose hereinafter explained.

When, during the operation of the sealing mechanism, one of the units thereof'moves from the can-receiving position shown at the right of Fig. 2, and the can has been inclosed within the sealing chamber as previously explained, the movement of the roller 259 (Figs. 2 and 4) over the cam way 260 will cause the can to be raised to the seaming mechanism as shown at the left of Fig. 2. After a sealing chamber has passed the door-pressing devices 243 (Figs. 1 and 3) the hood 22 of the revoluble'frame will have turned sufficiently to open communication between the ducts 2627 and the valve 28 and thus permit the air to be exhausted from the sealing chamber. It will be understood that the revoluble frame comprises several sealing chamber units and that two or more of these sealing chambers will be exhausted during one complete revolution, but the chambers of the exhaust valve are separated from each.other as previously explained, and while a sealing chamber will remain exhausted during the operation of double-seaming the cap to the can, still the exhaustion of one-sealing chamber will not afiect the maintenance of a proper degree of vacuum in another sealing chamber.

As above mentioned, the double seaming mechanism will operate on a can in a sealing chamber during the time that said chamber is exhausted, and as said sealing I chamber approachesthe position shown at the right of Figs. 1 and 2 (where a sealed can is discharged from and a capped can received into the sealing chamber), the arm 29 i of valve 293 will engage the cam 295 and thus open said valve to admit atmospheric pressure through the tube- 269 onto the cap of the can. At approximately the same-time that. this occurs, the head 270 on the tube 269 will engage the cam 271, whereby the tube 269 will be pressed downwardly to force the can away from the seaming mechanism. At about the same time, the roller 259 (Fig. 4) will enter the depressed portion-of the cam-way 260, thus permitting the descentof the can and the platform 53 on which it rests, and such descent will be further enforced by coop eration of the rollers 263 with the cam 264. The sealingchamber now proceeds to the position shown at the right of Fig. 2, and will be opened and the sealed ca discharged in the manner hereinbefore exp 'ained.

A stop 296 is provided to prevent the feeding of cans to a sealing chamber or unit of the sealing mechanism which may have becomeincapacitated from any cause,

and means are provided for automatically moving this stop from its normal position shown in full lines in Fig. 3 (where it forms part of the outer flange of the guideway 222 over the table 231) to the dotted line position across the can chute 222. These means comprise an arm 297 secured to the stop 296 and connected by a link 298 with the long arm of a bell-crank lever 299. The other arm 300 is disposed over the plane of the table sections 230 in position to be engaged by a roller 301 carried by an arm 302 attached to a sealing chamber unit, when said arm is in the dotted line position shown diagrammatically in Fig. 3. It will be understood that each sealing chamber unit is provided with an arm 302, but these arms will be normally disposed in inoperative positions as shown in full lines in Fig. 1 and will only be moved to the dotted line position (to which position said arm may be moved manually) when a sealing chamber unit has become disabled.

I For the purpose of retaining the stop arm 296 in and return the same to its normal position, a spring 299" may be provided, one end of said spring being secured to a fixed support and the other end to the lever 299.

It is apparent that when an arm 302 is disposed in the dotted line position, it will engage the arm 300 of bell-crank 299 before the sealing chamber unit reaches a position to receive a can from the feeding mechanism, and that movement of the bellcrank will be transmitted through the link 298 and an arm 297 to the stop 296 and cause the latter to be projected across the path of the cans and thus prevent the feeding of the same until the disabled sealing chamber unit shall have passed the can receiving and discharging position.

Should a can entering-the can carrier be so mutilated or misshaped as to prevent the closing of the sealing chamber, the sealing mechanism, as well as the feeding means between said mechanisms should be promptly stopped. This is accomplished automati cally by. means of the devices which will now be explained: It will be recalled that the can carriers 45 (which also constitute closures for the sealing chambers) are provided with rollers 65 (Fig. 2) which coiiperate with a V-shaped cam-way 58 (Figs. 2 and 3) for moving said can carriers to open and close the sealing chambers, and it will also be recalled that the forward wall 60 of this cam-way is made in the form of a yielding gate havin an arm 62. It will be apparent that i a mutilated can should be so disposed in the can carrier 45 in such manner as to prevent the latter from closing the sealing chamber, engagement of the roller 65 with the yielding cam wall or gate 60 would cause the latter to swing outwardly and its arm 62 to engage the upper arm of a lever 62 as shown in Fig. 2. g This lever is pivotally connected between its ends to an arm on the fixed framework and its lower end loosely embraces a rod 62 The rod 62* is attached at one end to the hand lever 13 and at the other end to a hand lever 62, so that the clutch 13 for stopping and starting the sealing and capping mechanisms may be operated from either side of the apparatus, and as the rod 6E2 passes freely through the lever 62, these operations may be accomplished without affecting said lever. In proximity to the lower end of the lever 62 a block or stop 62 is secured to the rod 62' so that when the swinging wall or gate 60 is forced outwardly by failure of a can carrier 45 to close its sealing chamber (on account of the presence of a mutilated can) the arm 62 .will engage the upper end of lever 62 and actuate said lever in such manner as to cause its lower end to engage the block or stop 62 on rod 62* and thus impart motion to the clutch to stop the sealing mechanism and the feeding devices.

Having fully described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, is

1. In can sealing apparatus, thecombination with a traveling sealing chamber and means for exhausting the same, of a can carrier constituting a closure for the sealing chamber, vertically movable lugs mounted in said carrier and adapted to engage a can therein, springs resisting upward movement of said lugs, spring-pressed lugs in the sealing chamber to engage the bottom flange of the can, seaming means within the sealing chamber, and means for raising the capped upper end of the can to the seaming means.

2. In a can sealing apparatus, the combination with a sealing chamber, and seaming means therein, of a can carrier constituting a closure for said chamber, a vertically movable can platform in said carrier, a vertically movable plunger, means for coupling said plunger and platform, means for operating the plunger to raise the can to the seaming means, and a can cooperating with said plunger to lower the platform and the can thereon.

3. In a sealing apparatus, the combination with a traveling frame provided with a sealing chamber, a can carrier constituting a closure for said chamber, can sealing means within said chamber, and .a platform section adjacent to and movable with said sealing chamber, of means for conveying a can to said platform section, a yielding arm pro.

jecting over said platform section, means for moving the sealing chamber whereby a can will be received by the carrier, and means for moving the carrier into the sealing chamher and closing the latter.

4. In a can sealing apparatus, the combination with a traveling frame provided with a sealing chamber, a movable can carrier constituting a closure for said chamber, can sealing means within said chamber, and platform sections adjacent to and movable with said sealing chamber, of an arm projecting over said can carrier when the latter is open, a yielding arm projecting over one of said platform sections to cause a can to enter said carrier, a deflecting cam on the other platform section to divert a sealed'can leaving the can carrier, means for closing the can carrier, a slide and means for causing said slide to follow the can carrier when the latter closes and cooperate with said deflecting cam to insure the discharge of the sealed can.

5. In a can sealing apparatus, the combination with a revoluble frame provided with a sealing chamber, having an opening in one side, a horizontally movable can carrier constituting a closure for said opening, and can sealing means Within said chamber, of means for moving the can carrier horizontally to open and close said chamber during the travel of said chamber, means for removing a can laterally from said carrier when the same opens, means for inserting a can into the carrier during the travel of the same, and means for discharging a sealed can from the machine during the travel of the revoluble frame.

6. In a can sealing apparatus, the combination with a traveling frame provided with a sealing chamber having a lateral opening, a horizontally movable can carrier constituting a closure for the lateral opening of said chamber, and seaming means inclosed within said chamber, of a can chute, a traveling chain provided with arms movable over said chute to feed cans to the can carrier of the sealing chamber, means operable during the travel of the traveling frame for diverting a can into said can carrier, and means for moving the can carrier horizontally to insert a can into the sealing chamber and at the same time close the lateral opening of said chamber when the traveling frame is in motion.

7. In a can sealing apparatus, the combination with a traveling frame provided with a sealing chamber, and sealing means in said chamber, of a chute, means for moving cans over said chute to feed them to the sealing chamber, a stop arm for checking the feed of cans, operating devices for said stop arm, and an adjustable device carried by a part movable with the revoluble frame for actuating said operating means, for preventing feed of a can to a disabled sealing chamber.

8. In a sealing apparatus, the combination with a traveling sealing chamber, sealing mechanism therein, a can carrier constituting a closure for said sealing chamber,

and a roller carried by said can carrier, of an approximately V-shaped cam-way through which said roller travels to move said can carrier relatively to the sealing chamber, a

- portion of one wall of said cam-way being yielding, and means for moving said sealing chamber and combined can carrier and closure.

9. In a can sealing machine, the combination with a sealing chamber, sealing mechanism therein, a can carrier constituting a closure for said chamber and a platform adjacent to said chamber, of means for feeding a can to said platform, a yielding arm projecting over the platform, means for moving the carrier to. insert a can into the sealing chamber and close said chamber, means for moving said sealing chamber forwardly during the closing movement of the carrier, and a cam cooperating with the yielding arm and permitting it to move out of the way of the-forward movement of the 1carrier during the closing movement of the atter.

10. In can sealing apparatus, the combina= offered to the closing of the sealing chamber by the can carrier.

11. In can sealing apparatus, the combination with sealing mechanism, a sealing chamber, a can carrier constituting a closure for said sealing chamber, driving means for the sealing mechanism, a clutch for said driving means, a clutch lever, a V-shaped cam-Way for moving the can carrier, and a hinged, spring-pressed gate constituting a part of one wall of said cam-way, a pivoted lever having an upper arm in position to be engaged by the gate, of a rod connected with the clutch lever and having sliding connection with the lower arm of said pivoted lever, and a stop on said rod to be engaged by said pivoted leverto throw the clutch when the gate is forced outward by abnormal resistance to the closing of the sealing chamber.

12. In can sealing apparatus, the combinaion with sealing mechanism, a sealing chamber, a can carrier constituting also a closure for the sealing chamber, a camway for moving said carrier, a hinged gate forming part of the wall of said camway, and can feeding means, of a drive shaft, a pulley loose thereon, a clutch for connecting said pulley to the drive shaft, gearing between said drive shaft and the feeding means, and devices connected with said clutch and cooperating with the hinged gate for throwing said clutch to stop the sealing mechanism and the feeding means when abnormal resistance is offered to the closing of the sealing mechanism.

In testimony whereof, I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ADOLPH K. MALMQUIST.

Witnesses:

D. M. BOOSSEANY, E. D. MILLER. 

